Core A: Administrative Core Project Summary Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders (RD) are characterized by progressive cognitive impairments that correlate with increasing accumulations of CNS deposits of disease proteins as exemplified by the senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles required for the postmortem diagnosis of AD. In the competing renewal of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) AD Core Center (ADCC), our focus is on AD and RD in keeping with the most recent Request For Applications (RFA-AG-16-018) and because the diagnostic pathologies of selected RD are common co-morbid abnormalities in most AD patients that contribute to clinical deficits in patients living with AD. The Penn ADCC includes 6 Cores, and Core A is the Administrative Core. Accordingly, Core A supports the mission of the Penn ADCC by facilitating efforts to increase research and understanding of AD and RD as well as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy brain aging in and beyond the Penn ADCC. To that end, Core A sets the direction and guides development of ADCC programs as well as promotes interactions of ADCC investigators with key stakeholders. This includes NIH/NIA funded AD Centers (ADCs), the National AD Coordinating Center (NACC), the AD Cooperative Study (ADCS), the AD Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center, the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), the National Cell Repository for AD (NCRAD), the AD Genetics Consortium (ADGC) and other NIH/NIA and public/private AD and RD initiatives. Core A accomplishes these goals through well established and highly effective mechanisms by: providing fiscal/administrative oversight of this Center; organizing regular ADCC Executive Committee (EC) meetings to review/guide ADCC activities; soliciting ADCC Pilot grant applications and reviewing these grants with an expert committee to identify/fund 2 meritorious Pilots/year, organizing annual Penn ADCC reviews by the ADCC External Advisory Committee (EAC), facilitating ADCC participation in annual Penn retreats sponsored by the ADCC and related Penn centers/institutes for students, postdocs and faculty from diverse disciplines in addition to promoting interactions of the Penn ADCC with NACC, ADCS, ADEAR, ADNI, ADGC and other ADCs in education and research initiatives, as well as in semiannual ADC meetings, and promoting ADCC data/reagent/resource sharing in accordance with NIH/NIA policies and ensuring compliance with all NIH/NIA regulatory requirements for human subject research. Thus, Core A provides a clearly delineated administrative structure that enables the Penn ADCC to increase the quality and quantity of clinical and basic research in addition to educational activities on AD, RD, MCI and normal aging at and beyond Penn. In so doing, Core A and the entire Penn ADCC seek to implement recommendations to transform AD research as outlined by NIH Director Francis Collins (http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2015/nia-01.htm) and NIA Director Richard Hodes (https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/blog/2015/08/special-budget-alzheimers-and-related-dementias).